Do Best Lists Really Matter? And Other Musings of a Taco Eater

July 5, 2022

I have proven that I can go four days without tacos, but on the fifth day, I eat tacos. Thursday through Sunday we were on a HeidiTown trip that took us to three states with the destination of Belle Fourche, South Dakota—a great little town in the Black Hills, but woefully devoid of taco shops.

Yesterday, I went to Mi Tierra in Windsor, which is my go-to spot for great tacos. As I sat munching down on an asada and an al pastor, I realized that I have been to this taco shop a lot over the last couple of years. In fact, I realized that I use these tacos as the benchmark by which all others are judged.  If you haven’t been here, why not? I’ve written about Mi Tierra.

That got me thinking about “best” list. I saw one about “best breakfast burritos in Denver” on Facebook this morning. Of course, I have written them a couple of times, but the reality is, that I don’t believe in them. What is best to me may not be best to you. Perhaps, like my husband, you get excited about ground beef tacos in hard shells because you devoured them as a child. Your “best tacos” list would look very different than mine.

Let’s face it, best is subjective, and I dare not make a best tacos list.

Experience is part of what makes a place extra special for me. I have a few Mexican restaurants, not taco shops, around the state that have played a happy and delicious role in my HeidiTown travels. If I wrote a “best” list, they might appear there, but it would be my opinion.

For instance, in Cortez, Colorado, we had a delightful Mexican breakfast at La Casita de Cortez. I will always fondly remember their colorful patio and delicious food.

I sat at the bar chatting with the owners at Mexican City Cafe in La Junta, Colorado, and it is one of my happiest HeidiTown memories. To this day, due entirely to this one experience of good conversation over an excellent smothered burrito, I continually state that Mexico City Cafe is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Colorado.

In the opposite corner of the state, we had an amazing meal at Vallarta’s of Craig. The place was packed, our table was covered in food, and the leftovers fed me for several days.

Around here, if al pastor tacos are on special at Ranchero Restaurant in Longmont, get ‘em! They aren’t on the menu, so normally I get the carnitas platter. Palomino’s Mexican Restaurant in Loveland also has a plentiful carnitas plate that feeds me for several days. 

So there you have it, a few of my subjective picks for the best Mexican food restaurants in Colorado (a shameless SEO phrase), and my thoughts on “best” lists.

Now go forth, and eat tacos, or at the very least, get some Mexican food for dinner!